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| Trotteur, winner of Quebec's Prix Jutra |
The CFC
Worldwide Short Film Festival revs things up by offering two free screenings
before the festival (ie: “Christmas in June” and “Flick-Nic”), but the festival
officially begins with the opening night gala screening of “Award Winners From
Around the World.” Every festival benefits from a strong screening on opening night, and this programme gets WSFF 2012 off to a good start. As the title suggests, WSFF starts a new year of shorts by
showcasing the films that stood tallest in the world of short film circa 2011. So get your passport ready and prepare to fill it with the golden ink of
award-show glory.
“Award Winners” begins with the first of three films to take
us to Latin America. Luminaris (Argentina, 6 min.) boasts
a whopping tally of 50 awards and nominations at festivals worldwide, including
both the Audience Award and the FIPRESCI prize at the 2011 Annecy International
Animated Film Festival. It’s easy to see why since this animated film by Juan
Pablo Zaramella has the vibrancy of real life. Stop-motion animation combines
with photo-montage to create a film with a dazzling tempo and keen sense of
authenticity. Fans of Amélie will
surely light up while watching Luminaris
(and look back to see if the crowd is too!). Dripped (France, 9 min.)
follows Luminaris and it offers the
perfect film for art aficionados. An homage to Jackson Pollack, Dripped is the story about a wily art
thief who is also a rabid consumer of painted works. Taking a connoisseur’s
painterly approach to the story, Léo Verrier deftly acknowledges styles and
masterworks that inspire future artists.
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| Armadingen |
Up next is
Armadingen
(Germany, 23 min.), which is the warmest, most uplifting vision of the
apocalypse. It’s hardly the end of days as seen by Lars von Trier, but like Melancholia, Armadingen shows what happens when the looming threat of
annihilation is met with hysteria by one party and indifference by the other.
When Walter sees news of the impending doom, he protects his wife, Helga, from
fear; however, since Helga is a whiny, crotchety old lady, she is happily
oblivious to the oblivion that’s pushing Walter to the brink. Consistently
funny and surprisingly moving, Armadingen
is sweet love story about how potential loss can rekindle old love. Viewers
might not join in a chorus of “Leaving on a Jet Plane” à la Armageddon, but they’ll probably exit
the theatre humming “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.”
Following Armadingen is the clever and noteworthy
documentary Grandmothers (Abuelas) (UK, 9 min.) Grandmothers uses voice-over narration to connect testimonials both
animated and live action in order to reveal the personal horrors of military
actions that tore families apart in 1970s’ Buenos Aires. The mixed form
approach enables a haunting blending of the present and the past. The past is
infused with stunning artistic vision in Trotteur (Canada, 9 min.), the
breathtaking film by Arnaud Brisebois and Francis Leclerc that comes next in
the series. Winner of Quebec’s Jutra award for Best Live Action Short, Trotteur is a lyrical depiction of the
race between a destitute country boy and a state-of-the-art train. Gorgeous
cinematography and an evocative score accentuate the plight of the young boy
who tries to escape the poverty of his simple, rural life. A beautiful, enigmatic film!
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| The Elaborate End of Robert Ebb |
After Trotteur, style blends with nostalgia in
The
Fisherman (El Pescador) (Mexico, 11 min.), which is the third and final
film of the night to jet viewers to Latin America. The party ends with the
hilarious short The Elaborate End of Robert Ebb (France/UK, 13 min.). An idiosyncratic
creature-feature, The Elaborate End of
Robert Ebb is a fun tribute to the world of monster movies and B-movie
schlock. It’s funny, inventive, and delightfully weird: The Elaborate End of Robert Ebb should leave viewers hungry for
fresh little films and ready to explore during the festival.
The Opening Night Gala
screening of “Award Winners From Around the World” happens at Bloor Hot Docs
Cinema on Tuesday, June 5 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the Gala also invite festivalgoers
to attend the opening night party at The C Lounge.
“Award Winners From
Around the World” has an encore screening at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema on Sunday,
June 10 at 9:30 p.m.
Please visit www.shorterisbetter.com for tickets,
program/film info, and show times.
(And click here for updates & reviews of this year's Worldwide Short Film Festival.)
(And click here for updates & reviews of this year's Worldwide Short Film Festival.)
